Trust in the Future
by justkeeptyping
Summary: HOA One Shot Day 2013 : Jerome claimed that he loved her. Claimed that he had waited two years for her to wake up and see that he was the one she should be with. He claimed that he would always love her, and that she was the only reason he was happy. Mara swore he never loved her. Swore he had never waited. Swore the trust was broken, but forever?


**HOA One Shot Day 2013** - **Trust in the Future**

**Any opportunity to big up the fandom I'm in! Also, gives me the chance to complain non-stop about how badly the writers messed up jara-**

**Anyway,**

**Enjoy!**

So alone.

Mara Jaffray was so alone. She sat in her small house, in the kitchen looking out into the garden, with flowers everywhere, buttercups and tulips, daffodils, every colour and every flower, which caused the beautiful butterflies to come. But she looked at them and her heart filled with such pain. Because _he _had planted them. He had bought them with her, planted them with her, made the whole garden look like a Princesses dream with her. And then…then he walked out of her life without a look back.

God it made her heart ache, to look out and see this beautiful garden, it was like a memorial of their relationship. Jerome Clarke. The name made her blood boil, her heart stop, anger flare up inside her. She rushed outside, tears pouring from her eyes, and she sobbed loudly, pulling at the flowers in an angry huff, like a childs temper, she yanked at the roses, cutting herself, but she didn't care, Wiping away her tears she kicked over the flowers pots, letting them smash onto the ground. The butterflies flew away quite quickly at the distress. She kicked at the soil, smashing the garden gnomes, smashing everything she could see.

Fine.

Jerome Clarke was fine. He was engaged to Joy Mercer, their wedding only a few days away, he washed his hands in his apartment, and glanced a look out of the window. They lived opposite Mara, not by coincidence, Mara and Joy had decided to live close by, so when Jerome left Mara, first for Willow, then for Joy, the transaction to the other side of the road, had been completely natural. But he frowned at what he saw. Mara was crying, and there were smashed pots everywhere. Concern bubbled up inside him, and he rushed downstairs, somewhat glad Joy wasn't here.

He rushed to the other side of the garden, grabbing Mara from behind. Hearing her scream loudly, perhaps in pain, as she knew who he was, maybe frustration. She kicked at his legs as he bound her arms "Mara," he said firmly into her ear "Mara stop this," she kicked again, succeeding in knocking over another flower pot, it smashed to the ground and Jerome's heart broke. He knew what she was doing. She was destroying the garden they had made together.

He fell to his knees, pulling Mara with him. He wrapped his arms around her, as her screams turned into loud sobs and eventually hiccups.

**Line Break**

"Jaffray?" Jerome whispered, they were inside her house, but she had not spoken a word to him "Here," he handed her some tea, but Mara ignored it. He sighed "Mara…you don't still…you don't still have feelings for me, right? I mean…we were…we haven't seen each other in over three years,"

Mara sniffed, feeling so stupid. She knew that, she knew exactly how long they hadn't been together. "When Jerome?" she whispered finally "When did you stop having feelings for me?"

Jerome's eyes blazed with sympathy "The moment I kissed Willow, I knew my love for you wasn't as strong as it should have been. And then the moment I kissed Joy, I knew any feelings I had for you, were only ever ones of friendship."

"If seeing two people, always choose the second," Mara chimed

"Because if you truly loved the first, you would never have seen the second," Jerome nodded "Understand, Mara? And I thought you were okay? I thought you were starting to see Fabian?"

"I am," Mara whispered "Which is why I destroyed the garden,"

**Line Break**

"Jerome?" Joy asked, "Are you alright? You're awfully quiet tonight,"

"Joy," Jerome whispered suddenly, turning to her "I think we need to post-phone the wedding,"

Joy laughed, before realising that he was being serious "What? Jerome! Why?"

"A month," he pleaded "Please I need one month, just one month,"

Joy thought about it for a moment. It would give her more time to organise things, they were a little behind "Fine. Just one month."

**Line Break**

"Jerome?" Mara frowned when she saw him at her door "What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay? Not ruining any other part of your house?"

Mara smiled wryly "No, don't worry, would you like to come in? Have a cup of tea?" Jerome nodded.

He didn't know how it happened. But three weeks, five days later, Jerome Clarke was head over heels in love with Mara Jaffray. He went to see her every day, and they talked, and they spoke and it was how he remembered it before. And the more he saw her, the less he wanted to leave her house. Coming home to Joy felt like a mistake. He loved everything about her, and he couldn't remember why for the life of him he'd left her. She had helped him find his dad, reconnected his family, she had been his friend even when he was a bumbling buffoon.

And he had just cheated on her. He had used her. He shook his head in disgust, he had the girl of his dreams on his arm, and he had thrown her away.

"Jerome?" Mara asked smiling "You okay?"

"Yes," Jerome breathed "Mara…I'm sorry, for everything I did to you, cheating on you in the middle of our relationship. We'd just had the best summer in the whole world and-"

"Jerome," she cut him off "No, I was…I was demanding, in our relationship. I made you do everything for me, just because I knew you would. When Willow came along, oh you know how she is, bless her. She liked you for who you were, and…you know…you liked that."

"You made me a better person," Jerome insisted, and he leaned forward, kissing Mara on the lips. The kiss just confirmed what he already knew, that he was in love with her. Mara didn't want to want to kiss him, but she did. She did and she felt like everything in her life was good again. She wrapped her hands into his hair and she felt like she was home. Like she'd always been loved.

And then the more rational part of her brain woke up. Jerome was only doing this because he was afraid of commitment, he was only doing this because he didn't want to marry Joy. He was doing to Joy what he had done to Mara four years ago. She pulled away, turning away from him. Jerome breathed heavily, walking out of the house.

**Line Break**

He stood there, at the altar, Alfie behind him. He could see Mara and Fabian in the audience, sat closely to each other. And he saw Joy walk down the aisle, and he didn't think her beautiful, he saw Mara, Mara in her plain silk dress, she was the person he should be marrying. "Stop!" he called, before Joy made it up to the altar, everyone looked up in shock "Joy, I can't marry you." Joy's eyes widened and her father kept a good grip on her arm in the vain hope of comforting her "I…I thought I loved you, but I don't. I am, and always have been in love with Mara Jaffray," Mara's eyes widened and she looked down in embarrassment as she felt eyes on her. "Mara, I love you, and I made a massive mistake four years ago, with Willow-" Willow looked down at her lap guiltily "And then with Joy, I was just…I was just…with Willow I was caught in the moment, and then you found out…and we broke up…and I just tried to fill the void and Joy did that…she fit the gap you left perfectly, but Mara I forgot one thing…she's not you,"

The church emptied itself. Fabian rather reluctant to leave, but Mara eventually persuaded him to wait outside for her. "Jerome," she looked at him "I…I do love you. But…I just don't…I don't trust you like I did. I mean…you've got to see how ridiculous this looks, right? I mean…you love me for two years, we date for a few months, you cheat on me, we break up. You start dating Joy, you fall in love, three years later you propose, you're about to get married. And then you fall in love with me again? Jerome this is a circle and I just…" her voice broke and her eyes watered "I just really don't want to be hurt anymore. You've got to see this from my point of view,"

"Mara…I know what you could do," he whispered sincerely "You could walk out now, and you could marry Fabian, and you'd have children, all little geniuses and you would be happy. But Mara I could make you happier, I love you, a thousand times more than he ever would."

"I'm sorry, Jerome. I just…can't. I took that risk before and I got hurt, badly. I'm not wasting another three years of my life trying to get over you when you walk out,"

**Line Break**

Joy walked out. Leaving Jerome all by himself in the apartment. With the perfect view of Mara's house. It made him clench his fists in anger whenever he saw Fabian there, which as time went by got more and more frequent. And some nights, Fabian didn't leave.

That put Jerome in a very bad mood. He would go around, fuming and yelling at everything causing his neighbours to complain.

**Line Break- TWO YEARS LATER**

"Hey Mara," Fabian grinned when she opened the door "A-are you busy?"

Mara smiled at the cute brunette in front of her, leaning against the door frame "No, why?"

Fabian fidgeted nervously for a moment, before going down onto one knee. Mara's eyes widened and Jerome swore loudly from his position inside his apartment. "Mara Jaffray…would you do me, the immense honour, of becoming my bride?"

Mara opened her mouth and she didn't know what to say. One word crawled its way out though, and it surprised everyone. Even Jerome, who had opened his window wide, and could lip read rather well "Nina," she whispered, meeting his eyes.

Fabian frowned, shaking his head "W-what about her?"

"Fabian," Mara whispered, stepping forward "If she came back, still madly in love with you, are you telling me you wouldn't jump at that chance?" Fabian said nothing, eyes calculating "I just…I don't want to put you in a position, that would make it harder for you to leave me,"

"Mara," he whispered, standing up, his hand placed gently on her neck "I need to go to America and find Nina, don't I?"

Mara smiled "You've needed to do that ever since she didn't show up for the first day back,"

Fabian's eyes were sad, and he leaned forward, kissing Mara softly. "It wasn't hard to fall for you, Mara," he whispered "You're pretty wonderful,"

Jerome crumbled, watching her reject Fabian. She did love him. Mara Jaffray had always loved Jerome Clarke. And he had ruined it so much for her, that she couldn't keep hold of it anymore.

He ran outside, just as it started to rain, and Fabian had just gone. He caught her before she closed the door "Mara," he called to her. She turned, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw him "Is there any chance…you'll ever forgive me?"

Two years Mara Jaffray had seen Jerome Clarke remain solemnly single, when he could have had his pick of girls. He had been waiting for her. _Yeah _her mind reminded _He waited for you two years at Anubis too _Well that was true enough. He had pined for her, for two years, rejected other girls, all just waiting for her to wake up and see it wasn't Mick that would make her happy. Just do it, she whispered to herself. Just try. Give him a second chance. If he breaks your heart again… "I forgive you, Jerome," she whispered. He stood there, shell shocked, before running to her, gripping her waist, and pushing his lips softly to hers.

**Line Break 2 years later**

"Mara," Jerome took her hand "Mara I'm not going to leave you ever again, haven't I proved that already?" he rocked her gently, she had just woken from a bad dream, well, rather a memory, of him kissing Willow and proposing to Joy all over again

"You have," Mara whispered "I just…I…I don't know Jerome, I keep wondering if perhaps that was a cut too deep, for even you to fix up," Jerome kissed her head in the dark, sitting the bed that they had shared for two years now.

"You know that if you don't want me, I'm gone Mara. Treat me as badly as you want, treat me like a dog, I'll do your every wish. Cast me aside, I'll wait, single and lonely, for you to call me back, if you ever choose too, cheat on me Mara, almost marry someone else, anything to get you to stop being in pain,"

"I love you so much," she whispered, hugging him tightly.

**Line Break 4 days later**

"You look extraordinarily beautiful today," Jerome grinned as he walked in. Mara blushed

"And I made your favourite, homemade pizza, but I'm not doing the washing up," he laughed, sweeping her off her feet, and kissing her. She gasped in surprise, but certainly didn't pull away.

"I wanna do something," Jerome whispered, setting her back on the ground, without pausing, he slid onto one knee, pulling the ring box out. Mara's eyes widened. She'd never expected a proposal from Jerome- ever. She'd got it into her mind, that he wasn't the commitment type, or perhaps he would propose and then ditch her as he'd done to Joy. "Mara Jaffray, the only person I ever really loved, would you do me the immense honour…that I truly don't deserve…or marrying me, and becoming Mrs Mara Clarke?"

She bit her lip, but nodded before she could help herself.

**Line Break**

"You look really pretty," Poppy nodded, fixing Mara's veil. "I'm so glad you're back together. He looked so wrong with Joy,"

Mara smiled "You think we look right together?" she asked quietly. Poppy nodded, arching an eyebrow. Poppy was the bridesmaid, Mara didn't really have much choice. Amber was walking her down the aisle, as her parents had passed a few months ago. Nina was still in America, being chased by Fabian. Joy wasn't coming, Willow wasn't coming, and Patricia threatened to kill her if she was forced into a dress.

"Why?"

"I've been thinking…" Mara whispered, she turned to look at the window in her dressing room "Of just running, of…of going far away and living a completely new life,"

Poppy smiled gently at one of her best friends "I know you're still hurt, he…he really messed up. And he told me," she smiled wryly "He told me you'd think of leaving," Mara's eyes widened at how well he knew her. "And he told me to give you this," she handed Mara an envelope. "I'll see you at your wedding," she grinned, ducking out of the door.

Mara sat down carefully, as not to hurt her beautiful dress, and she opened the envelope

_Mara Jaffray,_

_It's not because I don't trust you, that I thought you might leave, it's because if you do choose to run away…Mara, I'll be completely heart broken and lost, but I would never be angry at you. Because I deserve it. Quite frankly I deserve to be left at the altar, the way I treated you, the only girl in the world, the girl who I was written to be with in the stars. But if you don't go, Mara. If reading this letter changed your mind, it means you trust me. It means you trust me enough, to know that I won't leave you, ever. _

_So, if you've read this letter, and you've finally, honestly forgiven me, wear the necklace. And I'll know, if I see you walking down the aisle, that I can finally be with the girl of my dreams forever._

_If not…well, I'll always love you, Mara Jaffray. _

Mara looked inside the envelope, and there, on a simple silver chain, was the gem. The gem she'd helped him find…a lifetime ago. She put it on, and headed out.

Poppy walked before her, throwing petals the way Amber had instructed. And Amber walked beside Mara, smiling. She whispered into her ear "I knew Jara would happen, I mean, my scrap books are always right," Mara laughed lightly. And she looked up, Jerome was there, and his eyes were on the necklace, and his smile was wider than she had ever seen, and she knew, she just _knew _right in her heart that she had made the right decision. Alfie was grinning goofily, happy to be at Jerome's real wedding.

Happy to be at their happy ending.

**In my mind, that how jara would happen eventually, it's not perfect, but at least they're together, right?**

**Review!**

**x**


End file.
